New Book Features Conservation Efforts in Charlotte, NC

Charlotte, NC– “A Region Awakens,” a short history chronicling the rise in environmental interest in the 14-county area around Charlotte over the past decade has been published by The Trust for Public Land and the Foundation for the Carolinas.

A focus of the book is what the Blumenthal, Close, McColl, Spratt, Springs, Stanback, and Stowe families have done in creating significant new public open space.

• Philip Blumenthal is a long-time conservationist and a leader in the Carolinas Land Conservation Network.
• The Dalton family endowed a chair in environmental sciences at Winthrop University and the late Harry Dalton is responsible for a 1,648-acre tract becoming a part of the York County Forever Land preservation program.
• The Springs-Close family is responsible for the 2,300-acre Fort Mill Greenway. In addition, Will Close is a leader of the Carolina Land Conservation Network.
• The Spratt-McColl family has donated 400 acres along the Catawba River between Rock Hill and Fort Mill in accordance with the Catawba River Corridor Plan.
• The Stanback family support of a number of conservation causes includes a generous gift to the state to protect 18,000 acres in the South Mountains between Morganton and Charlotte.
• The Stowe family’s involvement includes the contribution of 450 acres of land along Lake Wylie and funding for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.

The text also deals with the TPL’s Mountain Island Lake Initiative, which was established to bring 80 percent of the lake’s shoreline into public hands. The result is that 1,800 acres of waterfront land – about 80 percent of the goal – has been protected.

Author of the book is M.S. Van Hecke, former reporter and editor at The Charlotte Observer.

The book is available by calling Bridgett Thompson, program director, in TPL’s office at 704/376-1839 or order by mail from The Trust for Public Land, 1200 E. Morehead St., Charlotte, N.C. 28204.